The invention pertains to a braking device for a rope pulley of a mechanically retractable and extendable leash for walking animals. The rope pulley is supported in a housing such that it is rotatable in an unwinding direction against the force of a spring, and in a wind-up direction under the influence of the spring force, and cooperates with a brake button of the braking device in order to stop the rope pulley. The invention specifically pertains to a dog leash and although the following description primarily refers to a dog leash, this should not be interpreted in a restrictive sense.
A dog leash of this type with a braking device is known from EP 0 941 657 B1 (which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,773 issued to Bogdahn). In this case, the brake button of the braking device cooperates with locking projections on the rope pulley in order to lock the rope pulley on the housing. This braking device enables the user to choose between the disengaged position of the brake button and the functional position of the brake button. In the disengaged position, the rope pulley is freely rotatable relative to the housing. Consequently, the dog attached to the leash is able to move freely in accordance with the maximum length of the leash. When the dog approaches the user, the excess leash is automatically wound up on the rope pulley due to the spring force. In the functional position, at least the additional unwinding of the leash from the rope pulley is prevented.
If the dog runs away from the user at a relatively fast pace, a relatively sudden and abrupt stop of the rotational movement of the rope pulley is achieved by moving the brake button from the disengaged position into the functional position. This subjects the user to a jerking movement that can be perceived as unpleasant.